854 Contributions by: Isabella Endrinal (Page 29)

Modern dating can seem so frustrating, because it feels like there’s a set of nebulous, unwritten rules behind it, and every single player in the game has different levels of awareness and variations to each rule. Turn to Me Mukai-kun depicts this through the titular office worker, who happens to be out of the dating scene for ten years. As he tries to go back into the dating market, he’s well-meaning, but totally ignorant, so he stumbles at certain moments in his quest to cease his loneliness. It’s very relatable, and Eiji Akaso’s doe-eyed cluelessness makes Mukai seem more endearing than foolish. While there are certain moments that falter, and certain relationships that lack a spark, Turn to Me Mukai-kun is a lighthearted yet unpredictable dorama that might charm you into binge-watching the whole series.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Amane Okayama, Eiji Akaso, Erika Ikuta, Sakura Fujiwara, Shuichiro Naito

Director: Shigeyama Yoshinori, Shôgo Kusano

Rating: TV-14

With its unique viewpoint of World War II, Transatlantic places a slick, old Hollywood spin on the historical rescue network Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC). Like the novel it's based on, the miniseries takes real-life ERC members and writes them into love triangles and affairs to keep interest in the team, occasionally name dropping the famous European intellectuals helped by the committee. The glossy treatment of their wartime efforts prove to be absolutely stunning, if a bit broad. While the show can occasionally feel spread thin over its multiple storylines, the series uses classic Hollywood charm to remind viewers of the multiple refugee crises all over the world, through the one crisis everyone can recognize.

Genre: Drama, War & Politics

Actor: Corey Stoll, Cory Michael Smith, Gillian Jacobs, Lucas Englander, Ralph Amoussou

Rating: TV-14

A house isn’t just a building– it’s a space where one can be one’s self, where one can have control over one’s space. Of course, houses can differ between social classes, as the rich often hire househelp, while those less fortunate manage their own, or might not even have one. Their Stories draws its drama from this disparity, as the rich Isabel and Rosa lose control of their assets and have to move to the house where working class Marta and Jasmim live. It’s an interesting dynamic, a twisted mix of gratitude and resentment forged between former employer and employee, and all four leads portray this with the nuance and complexity that it requires. A Historía Delas might literally be hard to search on Hulu, but it’s an interesting story, one that feels unique and real enough to follow.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Bia Arantes, Cris Vianna, Emma Araujo, Johnnas Oliva, Letícia Spiller

Director: Luciana Baptista, Maria Farkas, Pablo Uranga

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Atsuko Tanaka, Ayaka Nanase, Kengo Takanashi, Saya Aizawa, Shogo Sakata

Usually, being swallowed up by a dragon means death. However, for Rentt Faina, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, becoming a skeleton is just a little setback in achieving his dream of becoming an defender for the kingdom. That’s because in this world, dying doesn’t mean dying– it just means that he has to kill other monsters and absorb their spirit in order to evolve into more human forms, like ghouls and vampires. It’s a strange premise, and the first episode relies on internal monologues, because, well, he doesn’t have the muscles to speak, but it's intriguing to see someone persevere despite having to start all over again. After obtaining the respect of novice adventurer Rina, the show plays out in a fairly entertaining way, with decent visuals, coherent storyline, and a more cautious protagonist we haven’t seen from previous shonen fantasy.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Ikumi Hasegawa, Mikako Komatsu, Ryota Suzuki, Sayumi Suzushiro

Rating: TV-14